


Village Woes

by emblem_oracle



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Gen, Growing Up, Illness, Poverty, Unrequited Love, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 16:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11189091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emblem_oracle/pseuds/emblem_oracle
Summary: They were nothing more than village children. They stumbled and they laughed and they joked just like other children. Yet, one day, their actions would change the destiny of Valentia.(Or: Random snapshots of the villagers before they became heroes).





	Village Woes

Kliff was the youngest of the villager children.

He was born on an early October morning; surrounded by tweeting pigeons and shouting midwifes and a screaming mother. His birth was not an easy one. He was many weeks premature and it was a miracle he survived at all, never mind his mother.

Kliff had a theory that was what caused his constant ill health. Especially in the winter months, when the cool air tried it's very best to freeze his heart. As such, he spent most of that time curled up in bed, shovelling constant helpings of hot stew down his throat to combat the chill.

During those times, his friends were the only source of happiness in his days.

"Kliff," Gray picked up the drawing he'd been doodling aimlessly on the bed. "What you fink?"

The paper was creased from the rubber and had been punched through in places. Yet, the drawing drew a snort from him. It was a crude drawing of Tobin's sister, Mary. "She's not that tall!"

Tobin reached up and snatched the paper from Grey's hand. "Stop it, guys! That's not funny!" He stuck out his lip, pushing the picture into his pocket – out of reach. Gray chuckled and picked up another page.

"Yeah. Why you act like such boys all the time?" Faye said, turning around her picture to reveal a flower. "Alm? You like it?"

Alm nodded enthusiastically. "Woah! It's pretty, Faye! You should become a drawer when you grow up!"

Faye smiled, pleased.

Gray began drawing again on a fresh piece of paper, doodling the beginnings of head. Tobin snatched that page too and his glare lingered for a few moments more. Gray rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"What you drawin', Kliff?" Alm asked, scooting closer to him on the bed. He studied the image for a moment before he grinned. "Hayy! That's us!"

Kliff nodded. "It's a fank you present! I need to draw three more so you'll all have one!"

Faye beamed. "You don't need to fank us! It's not the same with you in bed."

"Yea," Gray nodded in agreement. "It's like som…somefin… something's missin'!"

Kliff smiled, feeling light despite the cough in his throat and the pound in his head. "Fanks, guys!"

In the end, he drew four more pictures instead of three. One extra to keep himself.

* * *

 

Faye, from a young age, established herself as the best baker of her friends. At the tender age of nine, she had perfected the fruit cake and had memorised her friends' preferences through the years (which she often referred to for birthdays). Kliff and Tobin would go for anything with strawberries, Gray preferred oranges. She herself enjoyed lemon.

And Alm loved blueberries.

She made the fruit cake with blueberries the most.

Ever since she was young, she had felt closer to Alm than anyone else. There was something about him – he was so kind and mature and friendly. Everything she longed for in a person.

Yet, he was so close to what she wanted she couldn't help but feel ill at ease with him. Boys like Alm were a breed of their own, yet she was as common as the other women in the village. There was nothing exceptional about her looks or her smarts, or even her combat skills.

The only thing she excelled in was her cooking.

Alm smiled with exposed teeth whenever she handed over his slice of cake, and suddenly, the effort was all worth it – every time.

Still, despite the light feeling in her chest with every careless affection from him, she couldn't help but feel somewhat…

Unworthy.

Hot pain stabbed through her hand.

"Ow!" She yelped as she yanked her hand away from the fire, knocking her cake into the flames in the process.

Her grandmother started and hurried out of her chair, reaching her in seconds. "What happened?"

"The cake… I dropped it." Tears began to well up in her eyes and they felt hot against her cheeks. Her hand glowed pink and stung which quickly transitioned her from silent tears to wracking sobs.

"Oh, you silly child," Her grandmother's tone was more resigned than annoyed, hugging her to the chest. "Come on. Let's go treat that hand."

Cold water helped the bubbling blisters but did little for the pain. Tears spilled for far longer than she'd like, the loss of the cake only adding to her misery.

Her one skill… and she ruined the cake. But, more than anything, she hated losing the opportunity to see Alm's smile.

"Faye," her grandmother said as she wrapped cloth around the injury. "I think you might be trying too hard, darling."

Faye whimpered into her grandmother's chest. "But… but grandma…"

"Not but's!" Her grandma said. "I know how you feel about this boy but nobody's worth all this stress and worry. Trust me! Feelings come with time and regardless of how he feels about you in the end, that doesn't mean you did something wrong or are unworthy of him. Alright? You're a beautiful girl, Faye, and anyone would be lucky to have you."

Faye nodded slowly.

Two days later, Celica arrived in the village and then Alm smiled more than ever. Yet, the warmth that spread through her chest from his smiles was replaced with iced blood and an even greater sense of unworthiness.

* * *

 

Around the time Celica left the village, Tobin's parents finally scraped the money together to send him to school in the local town. With a sixth member soon to join their house, money was especially scarce for the family so to say the gift was a surprise was an understatement.

"After that whole encounter with the Zofian knight and with another child on the way… we just felt that we'd do well to allow at least one of our children an education," his mother said, smiling kindly.

"But… will Mary be going too?" He asked.

Her smile dropped and he suddenly regretted asking. "No… I'm afraid not. We only really have enough to send one of you… and as the eldest, we hope you can pass down what you learn to each of your new siblings. I'm afraid we'll only be able to send you for a few years but… we hope it will be enough."

Tobin nodded, the expectation not lost on him.

He wasn't as smart as Kliff by a long-shot and he had to deal with being chronically behind the rest of his friends in practically every subject. Yet, he poured into his work after he arrived home, sounding out letters and working on his addition and subtraction far into the night hours. What he learned he passed on to his eager siblings yet his progress was too slow to really grant him the chance to catch up with his class.

Still, he tried.

Kliff hit him on top of the head with his book. "Tobin, you listening?"

"Ow, Kliff I—Yes, I was listening," Tobin scrunched up his face. "That hurt!"

Kliff watched him for a moment as he rubbed the top of his head. "Really?" He put his book down. "What did I say?"

"Uhh… um… that multiplication's boring?" Busted.

"Tobin!"

"Okay, okay, I wasn't listening!"

Kliff pushed his book to the side. "What's wrong, Tobin? You've been distracted a lot lately. It's actually a bit concerning."

"What? I'm fine!"

Kliff raised a brow. Tobin never could sneak anything past him. He was too observant. The boy sighed, somehow seeming both concerned and irritated. "Want me to get Gray?"

"No! I'm honestly fine... well… it's just," Tobin scratched at his cheek, "you know my parents can't afford to send me to school anymore. I suppose I don't get why you keep trying to tutor me still."

"Don't you want to me to tutor you?"

"Well… yeah."

"Isn't that enough of a reason?" Kliff shrugged. "Besides, the school's going to be closing soon anyway due to the war. It's only a matter of time."

War… what a time they lived in.

When Tobin went home that night, he picked up his rickety old bow and shot at some sandbags. Best to be prepared.

* * *

 

Gray's father was a merchant and, as such, left the village more than anyone. He would leave for days at a time and return with the goddess' bounty, making quite the healthy living from selling his wares.

Then the fields became fallow and his father's work became hard. His profits fell and he was forced to learn the sword from Mycen to protect himself during trips.

Gray himself, along with his siblings, often journeyed with him. Safety in numbers was the idea.

He killed for the first time on those trips.

"Gray," his pa said, pointing toward the trees in the distance. "Bandits. Be wary. There's a few of them."

He was nearly eighteen now and he'd killed a lot more since then. Out of his friends, his hands were undoubtedly the most stained.

Gray sank into the bushes. He was good at this. The sneaking around bandits. They were usually so stupid he didn't need to try.

Emphasis on _usually_.

As he was about to emerge from the bushes, far from the bandits' gaze, a voice crawled into his ears.

"What 'ave we 'ere?"

Gray whirled but it was too late. There was a flash of steel, shooting pain, someone shouting… and then, darkness.

~X~

"… if you got stabbed."

"He'll be fine, Tobin. The doctor said he'll recover. Calm down."

"'Calm down!' He looks dead!"

"Shhh! His mother's just down the hall." Kliff's voice – raspy and thick. Sick again.

Alm's voice, gentle. "He'll pull through. We can trust the doctor. His injury was serious, yeah, but fixable."

"You're right, Alm," Faye. "Though I'm worried about his father. Poor thing."

Gray opened his eyes and light flooded in, blinding in its intensity. A small groan spilled from his lips as his eyes adjusted, changing the shadows around his bed into shapes.

"Gray!" Tobin exclaimed, eyes wide. The others around the bed turned to look. "You're up!" Kliff backed away from the bed and out the room, mumbling something about getting his pa.

"Seems so, Tobes," his voice was croakier than he would have liked. Memories of steel, pain and darkness flashed before him before dying away.

Alm smiled. "You gave us quite the scare for a moment there."

"Yeah," Faye added. "That bandit almost cut off your arm. The doctor said you were lucky to even be alive."

Gray glanced down and, true enough, bandages were wrapped all the way up his arm. He looked a little like a mummy and the thought made him chuckle. "I bet this is gonna' leave an awesome scar."

"That's all you care about?" Tobin huffed. Gray raised a brow. "You scared us to death! Can you imagine what it must've looked like when your pa got back? This—"

"-I'm alive though, right?" Gray nudged Tobin's hand with his foot. Tobin let out a heavy sigh. "Just trying to see the light side."

Kliff returned then; his parents trailing behind them. His father looked like he'd been crying when he came in and the detail, for a moment, solidified the gravity of his situation.

He'd almost died. Geez.

His eldest sister slapped him lightly as she took a seat, bubbling mad. "Don't ever do this to me again, Gray, or I swear to Mila—"

"It wasn't my fault!" He complained.

"Don't care! Just don't do it again."

His other sister offered him an orange as a get well present and all was well.

It took time to recover. He stayed in the healer's hut for ages and the constant healing made him both weak and nauseous. By the time he got home and could train with Mycen and his friends again, several months had passed. Still, he hadn't fallen behind much; what with his higher experience.

By the time Lukas showed up, he'd almost forgotten the entire incident. That is, he'd have forgotten if it weren't for the scar which ran across his shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is both welcome and appreciated!


End file.
